Do you ever think....

[Loren Littlejohn]

"Yeah I'll get some info on my mix, but ultimately I trust my own fucking ears and my mix isn't shit. If anything it's an opinion thing, not a my mix sucks thing."


What I am really asking is how do you really know when your ready to wrap it up (well besides budget calling the shots)? Does anyone here really rely on people for large changes to a mix (such as "change the kick it sucks, guitar tone is to dark etc..., not referring to loudness of things such as kick is to up front etc...).

 

[HandsOfDespair]

Good thread.

I normally ask my roommate to listen to it to know what he thinks because he's doing audio production too, and I ask the band, because in the end not only you must be happy with the final product, the band too. I always try to find a balance between what I like and what the band likes.

 

[Charlie E.]

This is a good topic. I know everyone perceives things differently and have different tastes. Mixing is such a subjective thing.
Today I showed a rough mix to a friend and he thought the guitars were too loud and I guarantee you that if I showed that same mix to my drummer he'd think the guitars are too low.
¯\(°_o)/¯ How do mix?

I'm actually kind of annoyed with my guitar tone right now because after some eq'ing it's started to thin out some but it sit REALLY nicely in the mix. So then I have to decide what to do. Do I want it sounding less thin but obscuring the other instruments? or can I live with it not sound brootalz but sit nicely in the mix?

 

[TRA]

When I'm mixing in the studio I have someone furthest from the project take a listen and give me opinions.

If I'm mixing at home my wife will normally give her opinion from across the room. If I know the mix is crap I'll get a "Well....it's ok....but..." and if it's good I'll get a "Wait...you're doing this...this isn't a song you're listening to?"

:zombie:

I think it is so subjective that a mix sucking has to be in the context of the song...if that makes sense. I wouldn't want to hear a Fear Factory tune mixed by Steve Albini...maybe I would.

 

[GarethSE]

I wouldn't want to hear a Fear Factory tune mixed by Steve Albini...maybe I would.

you know you would
haha

and usually, i just get this gut feeling where i just think, yeah that's it, and no-one else's opinion can sway me all that much.
maybe minor adjustments, like kick or snare up or down a decibel or two, but nothing significant
i try and establish an atmosphere and a feel for the mix, then once ive achieved i dont tend to go any further.

 

[16S]

When I'm mixing in the studio I have someone furthest from the project take a listen and give me opinions.

If I'm mixing at home my wife will normally give her opinion from across the room. If I know the mix is crap I'll get a "Well....it's ok....but..." and if it's good I'll get a "Wait...you're doing this...this isn't a song you're listening to?"

+1

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

When I'm mixing in the studio I have someone furthest from the project take a listen and give me opinions.

If I'm mixing at home my wife will normally give her opinion from across the room. If I know the mix is crap I'll get a "Well....it's ok....but..." and if it's good I'll get a "Wait...you're doing this...this isn't a song you're listening to?"

+1

I record at my parents house because live drums and tube amps dont fly at apartment complexes, and im always calling my mom into the room during a mix. I think it helps getting someone who doesnt know much about recording to give a listen. They don't understand what you did to the individual instruments, and tend to hear the overall picture a bit better.

 

[schust]

This is a good topic. I know everyone perceives things differently and have different tastes. Mixing is such a subjective thing.
Today I showed a rough mix to a friend and he thought the guitars were too loud and I guarantee you that if I showed that same mix to my drummer he'd think the guitars are too low.

+1
this is the thing. EVERYBODY's got an opinion, just like everybody's got an asshole. who do you trust? you ask one person - the drums are too hot, you ask another person - they're too low. you'd go nuckingfuts trying to please everyone. it's all about taste. somewhere in between lies the "most reasonable" answer. i think it all comes down to a few different people you trust - and your own ears. there should be a balance between one listener who has experienced ears and another person who just loves the genre you're mixing. when i ask for comments on this forum - i always get very critical comments coming from people who do this for a living or it's their passion. that's not necessarily the same perspective i'd get from somebody picking up my CD off the shelf at a store.

balance and trusting your own ears/vision. i think that's where it's at.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I do that a lot, but also making sure that those people are actually engineers. I usually don't give 2 flying fucks about what a band says, unless what they say is useful and opens up my perspective + if they've got good ears. The bassist usually jumps in and says he can't hear shit. So yeh...

All in all, it is mandatory for me to consider opinions from at least 5 people. As it is, it has been about 3 years since I got into production, and when I listen to a shit tone for more than 6hrs I start liking it